This study explores YouTube edits that use incel-related terminology, assessing common themes and audiovisual patterns. Over the years, the incel subculture has gained mainstream attention for extremist misogynist rhetoric, mass killings perpetrated by incels, and more recently the migration of certain incel terminology from looksmaxxing forums into mainstream social media, particularly TikTok and other video platforms. The rising looksmaxxing trend raises questions about the potential harm to young viewers’ health and the mainstreaming of incel ideology. There has also been little research into a type of short-form videos called “edits,” which have been popular during the looksmaxxing trend. The study sampled 24 videos featuring edits from 8 channels, conducting thematic and content analyses. Results showed six themes: 1) defining and achieving attractive traits, 2) the importance of looks in attraction, 3) the incel belief system is not meant to be toxic, 4) the belief system kills one’s hopes for favorable life outcomes, 5) difficulties in dating, and 6) boosting engagement with videos. Audiovisual choices, such as syncing clips to slowed-down songs, appeared deliberate and served a variety of purposes while enhancing the videos’ themes. A few edits appeared to not endorse incel beliefs but used incel terminology as part of the wider looksmaxxing trend; meanwhile, other edits portrayed rigid beauty standards and fatalistic views about mating psychology, reinforcing harmful norms about masculinity and heterosexuality.

"Social media use (SMU) has become an embedded feature of adult life, shaping communication, attention, and daily routines. Smartphone-based environments operate through reinforcement-driven engagement mechanisms, research has linked prolonged SMU to social deprivation, sleep disruption, attention fragmentation, depressive symptoms, and compulsive use patterns. While prior studies have documented these harms, most rely on short-term reduction models and rarely incorporate structured behavioral replacement, leaving a limited understanding of how sustained interruption and intentional behavior change influence psychological well-being over time. This pilot study implements a 59-day convergent mixed-method pre-post intervention, reflecting empirically supported habit formation timelines, to examine whether extended abstention from SMU, combined with structured behavioral replacement, is associated with changes in loneliness, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and attention fragmentation among adults. Participants will abstain from SMU while engaging in at least 3hrs of weekly replacement activity. Quantitative measures of psychological well-being and behavioral functioning will be integrated with weekly qualitative reflection journals to provide a comprehensive understanding of participants' experiences throughout the intervention. Beyond evaluating behavioral outcomes, this study contributes to the development of the Costs and Opportunities of Technology in Context framework, a model that examines how the psychological, behavioral, and social costs and opportunities of technology interact within everyday life. Rather than treating technology as inherently harmful, the framework emphasizes that technology's effects depend on the contexts in which it is used, providing a foundation for future research, intervention design, and public health approaches to digital well-being. "

The purpose of this study was to determine whether rage bait marketing is an effective marketing strategy in the online makeup/cosmetics industry; and to identify potential psychological impacts on consumers. To address these research questions, a quantitative experimental survey was conducted on social media users aged 18–35. Participants viewed either a neutral marketing video or a video employing rage bait marketing strategies featuring the same influencer, brand, and similarly functioning products. Results indicated that participants successfully recognized rage bait marketing tactics from the influencer in the experimental content, suggesting that consumers are increasingly aware of rage bait marketing tactics. While no significant statistical differences were found between the experimental and control groups in perceived marketing effectiveness, authenticity, or psychological outcomes, correlation analyses revealed that greater perceived rage bait intent was associated with lower perceived marketing effectiveness, authenticity, positive psychological emotions along with greater negative psychological emotions. These findings suggest that consumer recognition of rage bait marketing tactics may limit the effectiveness of such marketing strategies; and create more negative psychological effects on consumers than positive.